East Fortune Hospital

Not Arran and therefore not the corrugated iron buildings I planned to blip today but they will keep for another time. Instead here is the ruinous East Fortune TB Hospital in East Lothian. I've been meaning to make a visit here for ages and today it was possible.  The hospital is abandoned and derelict though still standing in places. It's heavily fenced but I could have found a way in. I didn't though because it's dangerous and riddled with asbestos. I poked my camera through the fence to make this image. Nature is taking over. 

Apart from my fascination with tin buildings this one has a family connection to my maternal grandfather. He was a civil servant  and during WW11 he was in the then Department of Health for Scotland. He was heavily involved in requisitioning a number of large Scottish country houses which were turned into Emergency Hospitals.  He also had a hand in  setting up new  wartime casualty “ hutted” hospitals such as Strathcathro, Killearn, East Fortune and Ballochmile. 

East Fortune had been a TB Sanatorium from about 1920, using the vacant buildings of the East Fortune airfield. During WW11 East Fortune patients were evacuated to an annex at Bangour Hospital and Grandpa's department had the sanatorium taken over for military use. 

East Fortune became a learning disability hospital and finally closed in 1997. I believe that many traces of its history remain inside the decaying buildings. 

We are in North Berwick. It's is so nice to be by the beach. We have already had one excellent beach walk. It's sunny and mild. Wonderful weather for February. I don't want to miss a minute of being in lovely East Lothian. 

Thank you Marlieske for the derelict challenge. 

Emergency Hospital Service - if you're interested in finding out more.